I am a reincarnation player.

"why?"

"Because I don't have time." Yuki turned half of his face away, his expression helpless and sad beneath the mask of the Fool. "Garro is very strong, and I think possessing the power of revenge comes with a price. To be honest, Rod's time is running out. The next Rod may not be a hero anymore. He has much greater things to do than revenge, and I can't guarantee he'll waste time fulfilling my wish."

Atomic Samurai was confused by these words, but he quickly came to his senses.

The civilian Superman indeed had a fortuitous encounter and in some way greatly increased his strength.

This was natural. The Hero Association had discussed this internally, and they all agreed that he couldn't possibly be involved in the fall of a Grand Inquisitor. After all, he was barely a Monster IV when he disappeared, and wasn't known for his intelligence, so how could he have caused the fall of an Epic III player?

Now we finally have the answer. For some reason, the strength of the "civilian superman" Rhodes has skyrocketed, but this adventure comes with a price.

Let an ordinary player with a sunny and cheerful personality become powerful and gloomy, even crossing the epic boundary and being involved in the fall of the Grand Inquisitor...

His pupils contracted as he thought of a name that had been making a lot of noise recently. When he looked up again, Yuki had disappeared from his sight.

If I'm not mistaken, things are in trouble.

Atomic Samurai didn't bother to chase after him and looked at the players around him.

"Don't reveal a single word of what he just said!"

The heroes of varying strengths looked at each other. Due to their limited knowledge, most of them didn't understand what Yuki was talking about. A fortuitous encounter? Wasn't the reincarnation game about leveling up step by step based on points?

But when they saw Atomic Samurai's serious expression, they nodded.

"Yes."

Chapter 5: Reincarnation Game, No Heroes

Strategies should be judged by their effectiveness, not by their showmanship. Simple and crude methods are often the most effective.

Yuuki stood on a tall building, and the golden pen that was writing on the future diary paused. This script had been prepared at the beginning of the "Race Game" when the vest was chosen.

Valhalla provides a list of hundreds of aliases, so it makes sense why Yuki chose the "civilian superman". He is an unknown hero whose companions are all dead, a ranger who roams around doing justice. Even if an acquaintance really jumps out, he can use the excuse of "blackening" to explain it away.

Exposed because of revenge, acting violently because of the price, the logical loophole was filled. This time he was lucky enough to meet his enemy at the very beginning.

The information did not mention who Rhodes' enemy was. Yuki was an indiscriminate killer, but he could not resist the help of someone who knew the secret, and he found his target in no time.

Garou? He should be the god-level monster in "One Punch Man".

The memories of time travelers are no longer trustworthy, but Yuki has the information in his hands. After a quick look, he has an impression.

An epic rank II Taijutsu player, roughly on the same level as Sukuna. The real Rhodes couldn't possibly defeat him even if he fought for a hundred years, and he wouldn't even be able to find one. But for me—

Snapped.

He closed the document, grey threads coiled around his palms, and dozens of souls were howling, fighting the pollution with all their might.

This had no effect. Yuki had a blank expression on his face. He crushed and absorbed some of the souls like a king. After having a clear goal, he left behind another group, all of whom were members of the Garou organization.

Players below Monster Level II were completely unable to resist the Soul King's interrogation. Their memories were squeezed like sponges, and certain images surfaced before their eyes.

That was a stronghold, and a gateway to somewhere.

"It's underground indeed."

As soon as Yuuki arrived in City A, he felt the undercurrent surging under his feet. The Hero Association was also looking for its nemesis, but the strength of both sides was equal and no one dared to go deep into the enemy's nest.

"So, with the Judge on one side and the enemy on the other, will you follow the bet?"

The last few souls were crushed and turned into the purest energy and absorbed. Yuki took a deep breath, knowing that the small fry he had killed in the past two days were not eye-catching enough.

"Then kill the big fish."

It suddenly disappeared from the rooftop and when it reappeared it was already at the edge of the city.

The street lights were dim, the people were sparse, neon lights flickered on the tattered signs, and strong men with unfriendly faces were hiding in the dim alleys and peeking.

The villains are hiding among the civilians and are not doing any evil, so the heroes can’t control them and don’t want to cause misunderstandings.

No matter how sacred the halo is, whether they are heroes or villains, they are just a group of players. Most people care more about their own safety and benefits. If it were not for the guidance of faction talents, the players here would not have a clear position.

Egoists and old perverts are the tone of the players, and the abnormalities in the Kingdom of Heroes are also within the controllable range.

The edge of the city is a mixed crowd, including villains who hide their identities and heroes who endure humiliation and are eager to detect a shocking conspiracy. But no matter what their identity is, whether they are local forces in City A or not, they are all stunned.

Rhodes, the latest celebrity, came directly without any disguise. This kind of behavior is becoming less and less common even in the Hero Kingdom, which is known for its immaturity, hot-bloodedness and stubbornness. Most players always have to use their brains and make plans. How could they come to the door so openly?

"I retract my previous statement. The players here are indeed different from those in other factions."

Yuki saw many players who were willing to expose themselves and frantically warn him. This would not happen in other camps. How could someone who was looking for trouble and meddled in his own business bring disaster upon himself?

But it’s different here. The drunks on the roadside have serious expressions, shake their heads slightly, and their minds are in turmoil. An anxious voice echoes in my ears.

"This is the exit of an evil lair. Don't mess around, or they'll get serious."

"There are ways to practice justice. Go back and don't sacrifice your life in vain."

Yuki turned a deaf ear to him. He knew it was well-intentioned. He just needed to keep an eye on the exit of the nest. If he wanted to be sure to eradicate it completely, why would he have to wait until today?

But Yuki doesn't have time to go deep into the Hero Kingdom and fight with various forces. He will only choose the most efficient approach:

Break the balance and stir up the storm.

boom--

With a punch, the wall collapsed into pieces, revealing dozens of panicked people in the tavern. These were ordinary players who were forcing themselves to remain calm.

Heroes will not kill innocent people indiscriminately. They have not done anything bad, so they are not afraid of Yuki.

"I'm looking for the 'Deep Sea King'. Isn't it the gatekeeper?" The hooded man stepped onto the ruins and looked around.

"What Deep Sea King? I'm warning you, if you continue to mess around, I will sound the alarm and ask the Hero Association to arrest you." The man dressed as a bartender was not afraid. Heroes enforce the law with legitimacy, so they rush to save the situation after the disaster.

Their focus is on rescue rather than proactive attack.

"Your disguise is poor. Take off the mask and I guarantee you'll be on the wanted list."

Yuki strode over, and the bartender was frightened by the oppressive feeling and stepped back repeatedly.

"I haven't committed any crime, why should I listen to you?"

"Because I come here smelling of sin."

Before he finished speaking, Yuuki disappeared from his retina. The sheer speed of his body achieved the effect of teleportation, and his palm suddenly withdrew before touching the bartender's face.

brush--

Silver light burst out, and the wall on the other side was directly cut open by some high-speed liquid. The silver light spread several kilometers away, causing the overpass-like building to collapse.

Yuki turned his head to look at the back of the bar. A strong man was sitting at a round table. He took a sip of iced whiskey and slammed the glass heavily on the table.

"You don't think that if you lure me out, the Hero Association will jump out to help, right? Your presence is also a trouble to them. Those hot-blooded idiots are always a minority." The man moved his neck, looking as if he didn't know how to comment.

"Before they are called 'heroes', they are first and foremost players, and they dare not risk their own lives in pursuit of justice."

"so what?"

The man blinked, looking at someone like an incorrigible fool.

"I hate those hypocrites, but I hate people like you who are mentally unstable even more. Do you really think that you are invincible after reaching epic status and can pursue your ideals without restraint?"

"It has nothing to do with ideals. I just want to kill Garou." Yuki spread out his hands, immortal crystals covering his forearms, and strode forward like a demon ignited by hatred.

The man's expression changed, and he finally felt a sense of recognition.

"That's right. This lousy place, the Land of Heroes, has never been about justice or evil. What drives us forward is—"

"It's just determination!"

In an instant, the bar disappeared, the roaring waterfall formed a wall of water, and the man drinking at the table had turned into a strong fishman. He wore a slightly funny crown, his purple lips were grinning, revealing sharp teeth, and his several-meter-tall body brought a strong sense of oppression.

Just one step away from the epic, the drinkers turned into all sorts of strange and evil creatures, and there were dozens of them at a glance.

Space-stripping props, have they been waiting for me for a long time?

Yuki slowed down his pace and looked around. He could feel that a more powerful enemy was watching from behind the water curtain, and countless detection props were scanning repeatedly.

Evidence is already a big enough trouble for the judge. He will never take any action without it. If something goes wrong, he will have to waste a lot of energy.

"Don't worry, I'll give you a real hammer soon."

Instead, Yuki felt relieved, quickened his pace, and finally turned into a shadow.

boom!

Without using any props, his level 9 physique alone allowed him to exceed the speed of sound and punch through the chest of the Deep Sea King. Then he watched as the fishman disintegrated into bubbles, but turned into a vortex and flowed rapidly.

Tear the water vortex.

The immortal crystal was stirred and made crackling sounds. If it were a flesh and blood body, the arm would have been crippled. Yuki turned around and saw colorful lights shooting towards him in an orderly manner, shattering the vortex, and clapped his hands lightly.

Immortal Shield.

A crystal tower shield several meters square appeared, and the beams of light that hit it bounced off one after another, leaving dense marks on the shield surface.

"Let him out!"

Yuki threw out his tower shield, smashing several people into pieces like a wall. He rushed forward with one step, killing several people with his fists like arrows, and his charging body suddenly stopped.

Black tentacles bound his legs like dumplings, and the wavy ground turned into ice, spreading upwards along his calves.

This is why Yuki doesn't use physical strength to upgrade to epic. The upgrade speed always comes with a price. Physical strength players are too simple and brainless, and too easy to target.

Boom!

The Deep Sea King suddenly appeared in the reflection of the ice, with its thick fist carrying circles of vortexes. Yuki leaned back quickly and could feel the high-speed water flow passing through his hair like blades. He saw it put its hands together into a hammer and smash it down on his head.

Click.

The ice and tentacles were torn apart, and the shock wave followed. Yuki clapped his hands lightly, twisted his body, and condensed a crystal spear to stab forward. With a "ding" sound, it was bitten by a mouth full of sharp teeth.

Without stopping, Yuki punched the end of the gun, which went straight through the back of the Deep Sea King's head, but the huge monster in front of him immediately turned into bubbles and disintegrated.

"There's this furnace-like item that's almost epic in combat power."

The spear turned into a crystal shield, and holding the shield in hand, he continued to deflect the attacks of the surrounding players. This is the so-called advantage of terrain and numbers. Players above the monster level always have a few unique skills.

"Your abilities aren't the same as recorded. Why don't you use your rocket legs?"

The sounds came from all directions, completely ignoring the fact that his subordinates were being killed one by one.

Nonsense, how would I know what Rhodes is capable of.

Yuki remained silent. Fortunately, this character was the successor, so it was natural for his skills to mutate. At this moment, the water curtain around him began to roll. Yuki stopped and narrowed his eyes.

A very high-end chaos prop, similar to the "Universe in the Sleeve" specially designed for creating battlefields?

Regardless of the existence of friendly forces, a hundred-meter-high tsunami came from all directions. It was like a space collapse, and there was nowhere to hide. A nimble shadow was moving through the water.

The Deep Sea King, after all, can only be called a king if he has the sea. His combat power is close to epic. If he brings a dozen monster-level players with him, it is more than enough to deal with epic I-level enemies.

Deep sea strangulation.

The tsunami is approaching, and with super-high-speed movement and phantom clones, there are hundreds of Deep Sea Kings around Yuki, each with a different form.

Either sprint, jump, or sneak.

Water is its tentacles, and it can launch attacks at any location. With a level 8 physique and a cutting vortex, it has no problem breaking through defenses. It still doesn't believe that the crystal can provide defense without blind spots.

"Is this how we eliminate epic-level players?"

Yuki stood in the center of the space, on the only remaining dry land. No, his feet were also being pulled. A player like a great white shark actually dived into the water, biting his calf and dragging him into the abyss.

What a good trick. Those who were previously given to Yuuki to kill were all peripheral members. These players with fish characteristics are the elite team of the Deep Sea King. They are so professional that it will be difficult for Yuuki to escape without showing some real skills.

"A bunch of dirtbags, how can you be qualified to witness my core skills?"

There would be no eternal night, nor would he take out the hunter's musket to switch styles, nor would he initiate an epic qualitative change. He took out the hourglass and issued an order like a god.

Torch of the Gods, unlocked

【Space movement. Prohibited.】

The spiral band of light spread out from the hourglass as the origin to the surrounding areas. Yuki did not have the strength of a reincarnation, so of course it was impossible for him to cover an entire planet. He only included the surrounding kilometers within the range. At a glance, he no longer needed to pretend to be ecstatic.

Like an eraser erasing a painting, the huge waves disappeared, and thousands of illusions collapsed along with them. The Deep Sea King, with a ferocious face, was stunned and completely unable to understand the phenomenon before him.

Rule-based props are rare in games, but not unique. They usually only deal with a preset rule.

"My luck is so bad? I just happened to encounter a forbidden space item? No, even something like that can't completely wipe out the deep sea."

Deep Sea King was puzzled. Even if rule-based props were to be effective, they would still depend on the difference in strength between the two parties. Either the prop level must be very high, or the user must be very powerful.

Coincidentally, not only is the Divine Torch of a higher level, but the difference between you and me is more than just Epic I to Monster IV.